The Laser-Laser Radial North Americans and the Optimist North Americans last week provided additional evidence of the Shore's rising influence on the national stage.

Jeff Bonanni, of Surf City, who sails out of Bay Head Yacht Club, beat out a fleet of 52 sailors to win the North American Laser Radial class at Ridgeway, Ontario. Clay Johnson, Toms River Yacht Club, was the leading Shore finisher in the full-rig Laser class, finishing eighth out of 77 entries.

T.J. Tullo, out of Toms River Yacht Club, won the Optimist North American championship Aug. 5 to 13 in Mexico.

Bonanni, who opened with back-to-back third-place finishes, sailed a consistent nine-race series to complete the Laser Radial North Americans with 3-3-7-1-4-5-4-4-2--33 points, and a decisive, 14-point win over Mike Todd of Bedford, Nova Scotia.

Other area finishers included Bay Head Yacht Club's Matt Goetting (fourth), Carl Horrocks (sixth) of Lavallette Yacht Club, Reed Johnson (eighth) of Toms River Yacht Club, Bob Koar (10th) of Bay Head Yacht Club, Ryland Weber (13th) of Surf City Yacht Club, Adam Biehler (14th) of Toms River Yacht Club, Ed Norton (15th) of Fair Haven, Kyle Kovacs (20th) of Toms River Yacht Club and Emily Whipple (38th) of Island Heights Yacht Club.

Clay Johnson counted six top-10 finishes in his nine-race series in the Laser class, finishing with 6-9-16-11-21-8-3-6-8--88 points. Canadian Bernard Luttmer won the title.

Other Shore competitors included Peter Hurley (10th), of New York, a member of Mantoloking Yacht Club; Ward Hackett (13th), sailing for Toms River Yacht Club; Streett Silvestri (18th) of Little Silver; Andrew Casey (21st) of Avon; and Patrick Kohr (37th) of Bay Head Yacht Club.

Andrew Campbell of San Diego, formerly of Toms River, was 14th. He won the U.S. Junior Olympics national singlehanded championship in June.

Luttmer, Bonanni and Johnson finished 1-2-3, respectively, in the Laser Radial national championships last month at Brant Beach Yacht Club.

Other Bay Head Yacht Club sailors competing in the Optimist North Americans, which drew 113 entries, were Andy Goetting (19th), John Cain Sampson (37th) and Mike Spark (73rd).

From Toms River Yacht Club, there were C.H. Fasulo (25th) and Jerry Tullo (61st), plus Kyle Rogachenko (20th) of Surf City Yacht Club.

Hawkins triumphs
Todd Hawkins, Toms River Yacht Club, won the Canadian Optimist championship Thursday, kicking off the annual Canadian Olympic Regatta at Kingston, Ontario.

After opening the two-day regatta with a 16th-place finish, which he was allowed to discard, Hawkins rebounded with 1-3-1-2-10-1. He was among six Shore sailors -- four from Toms River Yacht Club -- in the top 10.

Leigh Kempton, coming off a victory in the Optimist Nationals, and her brother John finished fourth and eighth, respectively, and Pat Curran was sixth.

Surf City Yacht Club's Kyle Rogachenko, who had two wins, and Royce Weber placed fifth and ninth, respectively.

Complete results are posted at www.cork.org/Opt.html.
 

LBI Optimist
William Brown, Barnegat Light Yacht Club/SCYC, closed on a strong note, winning two of the last three races, to take the Long Beach Island Optimist Championship Aug. 10 and 11 at Brant Beach.

Brown sailed 2-9(throwout)-2-3-1-5-1--14 to outclass a fleet of 108 sailors on Little Egg Harbor Bay.

Runner-up was Michael Warren, Surf City Yacht Club; third was Steven Barbano, Brant Beach Yacht Club; Derek Day, Barnegat Light Yacht Club, was fourth, and Sarah Herman, Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, sailed fifth.

Fleet winners were: Herman (Red), Brown (blue), Colie Pilling (White), Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club, and Amanda Breen (Green), Brant Beach Yacht Club.
 

LBI Race Week
Host Surf City Yacht Club dominated the annual Long Beach Island Yacht Racing Association Race Week Aug. 2 to 6 with six class winners.

In seniors, Rich Warren won the Laser class with 1-2-1-1--4.25; Jack Elfman swept Lightnings and Terry Moulton won the Mariner class.

In juniors, Samantha Sutter took the Laser Radial with 2-1-1-PMS-1--4.25; Tuthal MacColgan won the Optimist Blue and Siaghal MacColgan captured Sunfish.

Little Egg Harbor Yacht Club had three winners. J.B. Maschal won the senior Sanderling class with 1-1--1.5; Ian Todd was the Optimist class overall and Red fleet winner with 1-2-1-2-1--6.25, and Mike Reynolds won Optimist White.

Kyle Kovacs and Eric Reitinger, Brant Beach Yacht Club, combined for a sweep in the 420 class with 1-1-1-1--3. Bill Clark, Barnegat Light Yacht Club, won the Sandpiper class with 1-1--1.5, and D. Saunders, Spray Beach Yacht Club, won the Sunfish class with 2-4-1-1-1--8.25.
 

BBYRA Week Eight
The Barnegat Bay Yacht Racing Association gathers at Beachwood Yacht Club today for its eighth week of racing, to be conducted on the Wanamaker Course.

Featured races include the Skip Moorhouse Trophy for A Cats, the Bobby Valdes Trophy for the afternoon E Scow class, and Charles Hotaling Trophy for the Sneakbox fleet.

As part of a revised scheduling format, the Sanderling fleet will not race today.

Lavallette Yacht Club hosts racing next week on the Green Island Course, then the BBYRA completes its 86th season on Sept. 2 at Seaside Park Yacht Club.

On the schedule

The Canadian Olympic Regatta at Kingston is in session until Wednesday.

Shrewsbury Sailing & Yacht Club, Oceanport, is hosting the Club 420 N.J. state championship this weekend.

Monmouth Boat Club's Sanderling Team Races are today.

Mantoloking Yacht Club conducts its annual World Duckboat Championship on Friday. Telephone (732) 892-9251.

The New Jersey Optimist Championship is at Surf City Yacht Club Aug. 28 and 29.

Published on August 19, 2000